Cabinet to meet today

All eyes on GST Council

The Cabinet is meeting on Monday, amid hopes that it'll take up the issue of setting up of the goods and services tax (GST) Council which will make recommendations on model GST Bill, tax rate and the contentious issues of dual control over assessment and scrutiny over assesses.

"Cabinet meeting tomorrow (Monday) morning," the government's principal spokesperson Frank Noronha tweeted on Sunday.

As of Sunday night, the Council is not on the Cabinet agenda, sources said. But, there is a possibility that it will be taken up at the meeting, they added. Earlier, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had told Business Standard that the Council would be taken up at the next Cabinet meeting.

President Pranab Mukherjee, too, had on Saturday expressed the hope that the central government would set up the Council soon.

Mukherjee has already given his assent to the Constitution amendment Bill on GST, making it a law.

The next big step in the direction of GST is constituting the Council. The Constitution amendment Bill says the President will set up the Council within 60 days of the Bill becoming law. The council, which will comprise union finance minister, minister of state for finance in charge of revenue, state finance ministers or any other minister nominated by states, will recommend on the model GST Bill. Only after its recommendations will the central GST and integrated GST Bills be taken up by Parliament and state GST Bills by the respective states.

The Council will be chaired by the Union finance minister. The government has fixed a target to introduce GST from April 1, 2017, while admitting that the goal is stiff.